The present disclosure relates generally to a projectile system and method for detecting gaseous materials present in the atmosphere at a remote location. The present system and method find particular utility in sensing chemical and/or biological threats in atmospheric air at specific distances or locations for tactical or military defense purposes. It will be recognized, however, that the present development may also be used to identify and provide distance and location information for chemical or biological hazards in connection with natural disasters, industrial spills, leaks, or accidents, and so forth. One advantage of the present system resides in its ability to identify potential chemical or biological hazards from a remote location, thus allowing the user to best plan for use of protective equipment that the user may have at his or her disposal, such as respirator masks, self-contained breathing apparatuses, protective clothing, etc. In preferred embodiments, the environmental hazard sensing projectile system herein can be adapted for firing from preexisting launch platforms, thus reducing costs and facilitating deployment.